October 19 , 2023 - Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has decided to run as an independent for the White House , new polling shows how that could possibly affect the November 2024 presidential election. Incumbent President Joe Biden has the support of 44% of those polled followed by former President Donald Trump with 37%.

In a strong 3rd placed showing is Kennedy with 16%. Not since 1992 has a 3rd Party candidate scored in double digits with voters when Ross Perot did it. While it is still to early to see if RFK Jr. will get close to Perot's electoral strength he is off to a promising start. Kennedy is also showing strong campaign fundraising reporting $6.1 million in the bank as of his September 30 filing with the Federal Election Commission. 

Asking those polled to pick only between Biden or Trump , the respondents choose Biden by 49% to 46% for Trump. That is similar to earlier in the month when the same polling firm showed 49% for Biden and 47% for Trump.

With the November 2024 presidential election just over a year away , if Kennedy maintains these polling numbers its possible that could get him a seat at any presidential debates. The last time there were three participants in a presidential was also back in 1992 when Bill Clinton , George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot squared off.

August 20 , 2023 - The first debate for the 2024 Republican party presidential nomination is to be held this Wednesday. Former President Donald Trump has stated that he will not be attending. He has good reason for that considering the massive lead be now hold in the race.

A just released poll shows Trump with 62% of those polled. His next closest competitor is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 17%. Of the remaining candidates in the race DeSantis and Trump are the only ones to poll in double digits.

In third place is Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy with 7% followed by former Vice President Mike Pence with 5%. At 3% of those polled is Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. Registering  2% are Former Ambassador Nikki Haley and Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

At 1% each are North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

July 12 , 2023 - Political pundits may say that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has no possibility of being elected president.  This is based on the fact that an average of recent polls for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination  shows Kennedy with 14% while  President Joe Biden is far out in front with 64%.

But what if the number of campaign buttons a candidate sells counted as votes?  Who leads the race in campaign button sales is it Joe Biden , Donald Trump or maybe Ron DeSantis? The answer is that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sells far more campaign buttons than any Democrat or Republican by a wide margin. 

We looked at all our sales on eBay for two months from May 6 , 2023 through July 5 , 2023. During that time customers purchased 68  RFK Jr. campaign buttons while Biden  sold just 1 and Trump 5. The table below shows the sales strength of RFK Jr.

Campaign Buttons Sales 5/6/2023 - 7/5/2023

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - 68

Tim Scott - 10

Ron DeSantis - 8

Larry Elder - 7

Cornel West - 7 

Marianne Williamson - 6

Donald Trump - 5 

Vivek Ramaswamy - 5

Doug Burgum - 4

Asa Hutchinson - 4

Nikki Haley - 4

Francis Suarez - 4

Chris Christie - 3

Joe Biden - 1

Mike Pence - 1

RFK Jr. probably dominates campaign button sales because of  the tremendous nostalgia that the Kennedy name generates. Having an uncle , President John F. Kennedy , and a father , U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy , who are both Democratic party icons ,  goes a long way in attracting attention from voters and the media. In addition to the Kennedy name , he  has instant ID recognition from his initials alone.

There was a time in American politics when a candidate could be known by just three letters. Franklin D. Roosevelt was FDR , John F. Kennedy was JFK , Lyndon B. Johnson was LBJ , and even Hubert H. Humphrey was HHH. During his political career , Robert F. Kennedy's farther  was often referred to as RFK.  Kennedy Jr. as he embarks on his bid for The White House has the use of both a famous name and a famous set of initials.

While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dominates campaign button sales , what is the reason for such low numbers for Biden and Trump?  While both are expected to win their respective parties' nomination the demand for Biden or Trump campaign buttons is low. One explanation is that they  have been around for a long time. Biden was elected a U.S. Senator in 1972 and has run for president four times , in 1988 , 2008 , 2020 and 2024. Trump has been a well known public figure since the early 1980's and the 2024 election marks his third presidential race in a row after 2016 and 2020. Any newness they may have once had has long since passed. Polling has shown that voters are not thrilled with the prospect of a Biden vs. Trump rematch , which has apparently translated into campaign button sales fatigue for them both.

While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign buttons are far and away outselling the other candidates , the coming months will determine if RFK Jr. can turn those sales figures into actual votes.  

June 23 , 2023 - The latest poll out on the race for the 2024 Republican Party nomination finds little has changed as former President Donald Trump continues to maintain  a big lead over his rivals. With the first GOP presidential debate scheduled for August 23 , 2023 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , Trump finds himself receiving 51% of those polled.

In second place ,  is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 22%. DeSantis is the only GOP candidate other than Trump to score in double digits in the poll.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is in third place  with 7% , followed by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with 5%.

In fifth place is former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley with 4%. Tied at 3% each is U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. 

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is the last candidate to register any kind of  support with 2%.